Marietta Gone with the Wind Museum Director Connie Sutherland is ready to welcome the public to the 10th anniversary of the local museum dedicated to the movie and its Southern heritage with the annual Scarlett on the Square event. Renowned artist Joseph Yakavetic will be on hand painting his creations like the one titled ‘Scarlett,’ as well as actress Anne Jeffreys, author Anne Edwards and a host of cast members.Staff/Kelly J. Huff

The Windies are blowing into town today in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the city’s Gone with the Wind Museum.

Windies are those diehard fans who travel to any event related to Margaret Mitchell’s novel or the 1939 film.

Museum director Connie Sutherland has prepared festivities for today, Saturday and Sunday that include interviews, Q&A’s, and autograph signings with the “Gone with the Wind” celebrities.

Mayor Steve Tumlin gives it two thumbs up.

“The Old South, we study it less and less in our world, but the movie probably after 70 years is still a love affair, and I think that’s going to last, the Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh thing,” Tumlin said, noting that tourists, “They’ll get off of 75 and 41 to go see that.”

Shannon Barrett, the city’s acting human resources director and assistant to the city manager, said her mother’s love for Gone with the Wind rubbed off on her as a child.

“I was a fan of the novel and a fan of the movie, and since moving to Marietta and having the opportunity to be a part of the museum and all the events, I have actually become a bigger fan probably,” Barrett said. “It’s always fun to see the remaining cast members, and as we all age, those that are still with us, it’s even more special to spend time with them.”

Sutherland said she is proud of the museum’s 10-year anniversary.

“Because there were those in the beginning when Gone with the Wind was first here, and when I was first hired the year after it opened, it didn’t have a director at that time and was just kind of hanging on, and it was either make it work or say goodbye to it, and I was determined that it needed to work because it’s a gem,” Sutherland said.

The celebration kicks off at 1 p.m. today at the Murray Arts Center with the program, “More Than a Beau” with Mickey Kuhn and Patrick Curtis. The actors portrayed “Beau Wilkes” in the film. This evening is a dinner and interview with actress Anne Jeffreys at the Marietta Country Club. Jeffreys is remembered for her role in the hit TV series “Topper” with real-life husband Robert Sterling.

Saturday at Marietta City Hall will see the owner of the museum’s collection, Chris Sullivan, recognized, as well as the presentation of the 2nd annual Windie Awards.

Saturday afternoon at the Hilton Marietta Conference Center, the grandson of Wilbur Kurtz Sr. will speak about his grandfather, a friend of Margaret Mitchell who served as a technical director and artist on the 1939 film set. Wilbur Kurtz III will discuss artifacts belonging to his grandfather and provide behind-the-scenes stories from the set.

Saturday evening at the Strand Theatre, Sullivan will interview Anne Edwards, author of “Road to Tara, Vivien Leigh: A Biography.”

Edwards will share stories of the celebrities she has interviewed, known personally, and written about, such as Judy Garland and Vivien Leigh.

“She was a very, very well know writer and author through the 60s, 70s and 80s in particular,” Sutherland said. “She wrote biographies on everybody, and the ones on Vivien Leigh and Judy Garland have been rereleased in the last couple of weeks, so we will have those books here for her to sign, and she did sort of a mini-autobiography in a book that just released last year called ‘Leaving Home’, and it was about her blacklisted days of having to move abroad during the McCarthy era. She’s terribly interesting.”

On Sunday, an auction of Gone with the Wind items will take place at the museum, along with autograph signings.

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